SIEM REAP – In this Cambodian city, one thing is usually on the itinerary – to revel in the wonders of Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious complex housing more than 1,000 temples spread over 160ha.
From watching the sun rise across the main temple’s reflective pool to examining the twisted roots of kapok and banyan trees at Ta Prohm to passing through the mesmerising carved faces at Bayon Temple, Angkor Wat has been a mainstay of travel bucket lists for good reason.
It was former United States’ first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ lifelong dream to visit this majestic place – which she did in 1967 – and there is no doubt there will be plenty more who will follow in her footsteps.
Beyond temples, there are more ways to understand Cambodia’s history in its most grandiose city, including on a plate.
Over the past couple of years, a growing brand of chefs and restaurateurs has begun offering a fresh perspective on Cambodian food.
This goes beyond the national dish of fish amok – a steamed coconut-based fish curry similar to otah – often bringing forgotten royal recipes to light and featuring local ingredients.
The culinary scene in Siem Reap is developing in leaps and bounds, and one can feel a strong sense of congeniality with restaurateurs and hoteliers recommending “competitor“ joints to their guests.
At the launch of new menus at Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor’s 1932 restaurant, tables were filled with local culinary celebrities who came to lend their support, including the “Kimsan Twins”, Kimsan Pol and Kimsan Sok.
The sisters are behind the acclaimed restaurant Embassy, known for proffering ancient Cambodian recipes and traditional cooking styles, which has made their restaurant one of Siem Reap’s hottest tables.
“The industry is continuously growing, and is really coming into its own from street food, bars and cafes with a host of outstanding restaurants,” says Mr Joseph Colina, general manager of Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor.
Even better, all the feasting that can be enjoyed in this temple town provides fuel for more exploration as well as food for the soul. Here are three restaurants to check out.
Cuisine Wat Damnak
One of the culinary movement’s best known pioneers is Joannes Riviere, chef-patron of Cuisine Wat Damnak (cuisinewatdamnak.com) – the first restaurant in Cambodia to make it to the influential Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2015.
The Frenchman, who spent most of the past two decades living in Cambodia, is known for marrying Khmer flavours with French techniques, and has surprised even locals by spotlighting lesser-known Cambodian dishes in tasting menus that change monthly.
The fine-dining restaurant, which opened in 2011, is set in a restored Khmer wooden house and serves creative seasonal dishes.
The current tasting menu, for instance, includes frog leg soup in a light curry broth served with jackfruit seeds puree, as well as seared and slow-cooked beef tongue.
Riviere’s approach and cooking have received such a solid following that he opened an outpost in Phnom Penh in 2021, housed in a 1950s villa originally designed by Cambodian architect Mam Sophana.
Dinner tasting menus at both the Siem Reap and Phnom Penh restaurants cost US$38 (S$50) for the plant-based menu and US$45 for the regular menu.
Menus comprise about eight courses and change monthly.
1932 by Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor
The success of Cuisine Wat Damnak has encouraged other restaurants, including those run by larger players, to further explore Cambodia’s culinary history.
In October 2023, the 92-year-old Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor (raffles.com/siem-reap) unveiled Khmer tasting menus at its signature restaurant, 1932, which feature food through different decades.
These range from a 1930s menu called “The Reign of King Sisowath Norodom”, to a 1990s one named “The Raffles Grand Legacy”.
At the menus’ launch in September 2023, the restaurant served dishes from each decade to offer a complete picture of Cambodia’s recent history.
The meal began with the hotel’s resident historian Saravann Mouth explaining kroeung – a generic term for a spice paste that is the foundation of many Cambodian dishes.
It is essential in Khmer cuisine and a good starting point for a restaurant that Mr Colina says focuses on “local specialities and home-grown ingredients with remarkable heritage”.
Dishes from the various eras include a lotus root dish that uses every part of the plant, from the root to the fruit, as well as a wonderfully balanced, clear herbal soup with taro and pumpkin.
Regional produce such as sea bass from Kep, a coastal province in the country’s south, and pepper from the neighbouring Kampot province, a well-known Cambodian export, were given pride of place throughout the meal.
The 1990s Raffles Grand Legacy menu also highlights the restaurant’s fish amok with kroeung curry paste, coconut milk and black sticky rice, and the “Char Kdao” Angus Tenderloin with hot basil, green beans and sweet potato.
Tasting menus range from US$50++ to $120++ for five to eight courses.
Aaraama Restaurant
A more casual take on Khmer culinary history can be found at Aaraama Restaurant (aaraama.com), located in the atmospheric Angkor Village Hotel in the buzzing Wat Bo neighbourhood.
In early 2023, the restaurant revamped its menu to showcase myriad dishes from various periods, ranging from the Angkor era to modern-day Cambodia.
These dishes are served in tasting portions, meant for sharing – “Cambodian tapas”, if you will. Dishes range from US$5 to US$8.
The idea is to order a selection from various menus divided by periods.
The Wandering Kingdom menu, which refers to the post-Angkor period from the early 15th century to 1863, features pork and bamboo shoots in a coconut broth.
The French Indochina menu references the country’s colonial years with fusion French dishes such as Oxtail Pot-Au-Feu, an oxtail and vegetable soup with a local twist.
Kissa Castaneda, former editor-in-chief of Tatler Singapore, now calls Ireland home. She is a design and food lover always on the lookout for a hidden local restaurant.
